1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590
//! # Simple thread-safe cell
//!
//! [`PtrCell`] is an atomic cell type that allows safe, concurrent access to shared data. No [data
//! races][1], no [nasal demons (UB)][2], and most importantly, no [locks][3]
//!
//! This type is only useful in scenarios where you need to update a shared value by moving in and
//! out of it. If you want to concurrently update a value through mutable references, take a look at
//! the standard [`Mutex`](std::sync::Mutex) and [`RwLock`](std::sync::RwLock) instead
//!
//! #### Offers:
//! - **Ease of use**: The API is fairly straightforward
//! - **Performance**: The algorithms are at most a couple of instructions long
//!
//! #### Limits:
//! - **Access to the cell's value**: To see what's stored inside a cell, you must either take the
//! value out of it or have exclusive access to the cell
//!
//! ## Usage
//!
//! ```rust
//! // Construct a new cell with default coupled semantics
//! let cell: ptr_cell::PtrCell<u16> = 0x81D.into();
//!
//! // Replace the value inside the cell
//! assert_eq!(cell.replace(Some(2047)), Some(0x81D));
//!
//! // Check whether the cell is empty
//! assert_eq!(cell.is_empty(), false);
//!
//! // Take the value out of the cell
//! assert_eq!(cell.take(), Some(2047))
//! ```
//!
//! ## Semantics
//!
//! `PtrCell` allows you to specify memory ordering semantics for its internal atomic operations
//! through the [`Semantics`] enum. Choosing appropriate semantics is crucial for achieving the
//! desired level of synchronization and performance. The available semantics are:
//!
//! - [`Ordered`](Semantics::Ordered): Noticeable overhead, strict
//! - [`Coupled`](Semantics::Coupled): Acceptable overhead, intuitive
//! - [`Relaxed`](Semantics::Relaxed): Little overhead, unconstrained
//!
//! `Coupled` is what you'd typically use. However, other orderings have their use cases too. For
//! example, the `Relaxed` semantics could be useful when the operations are already ordered through
//! other means, like [fences](std::sync::atomic::fence). As always, the documentation for each item
//! contains more details
//!
//! ## Examples
//!
//! Find the maximum value of a sequence of numbers by concurrently processing both of the
//! sequence's halves
//!
//! ```rust
//! fn main() {
//! // Initialize an array of random numbers
//! const VALUES: [u8; 11] = [47, 12, 88, 45, 67, 34, 78, 90, 11, 77, 33];
//!
//! // Construct a cell to hold the current maximum value
//! let cell = ptr_cell::PtrCell::new(None, ptr_cell::Semantics::Relaxed);
//! let maximum = std::sync::Arc::new(cell);
//!
//! // Slice the array in two
//! let (left, right) = VALUES.split_at(VALUES.len() / 2);
//!
//! // Start a worker thread for each half
//! let handles = [left, right].map(|half| {
//! // Clone `maximum` to move it into the worker
//! let maximum = std::sync::Arc::clone(&maximum);
//!
//! // Spawn a thread to run the maximizer
//! std::thread::spawn(move || maximize_in(half, &maximum))
//! });
//!
//! // Wait for the workers to finish
//! for worker in handles {
//! // Check whether a panic occured
//! if let Err(payload) = worker.join() {
//! // Thread panicked, propagate the panic
//! std::panic::resume_unwind(payload)
//! }
//! }
//!
//! // Check the found maximum
//! assert_eq!(maximum.take(), Some(90))
//! }
//!
//! /// Inserts the maximum of `sequence` and `buffer` into `buffer`
//! ///
//! /// At least one swap takes place for each value of `sequence`
//! fn maximize_in<T>(sequence: &[T], buffer: &ptr_cell::PtrCell<T>)
//! where
//! T: Ord + Copy,
//! {
//! // Iterate over the slice
//! for &item in sequence {
//! // Wrap the item to make the cell accept it
//! let mut slot = Some(item);
//!
//! // Try to insert the value into the cell
//! loop {
//! // Replace the cell's value
//! let previous = buffer.replace(slot);
//!
//! // Determine whether the swap resulted in a decrease of the buffer's value
//! match slot < previous {
//! // It did, insert the old value back
//! true => slot = previous,
//! // It didn't, move on to the next item
//! false => break,
//! }
//! }
//! }
//! }
//! ```
//!
//! [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_condition#In_software
//! [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undefined_behavior
//! [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_(computer_science)
// You WILL document your code and you WILL like it
#![warn(missing_docs)]
use std::sync::atomic::Ordering;
// As far as I can tell, accessing the cell's value is only safe when you have exclusive access to
// the pointer. In other words, either after replacing the pointer, or when working with a &mut or
// an owned cell. The next comment follows from this
// Do NOT ever refactor this to use None instead of null pointers. No pointer and a pointer to
// nothing are vastly different concepts. In this case, only the absence of a pointer is safe to use
/// Thread-safe cell based on atomic pointers
///
/// This cell type stores its data externally: instead of owning values directly, it holds pointers
/// to *leaked* values allocated by [`Box`]. Synchronization is achieved by atomically manipulating
/// these pointers
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust
/// // Construct a new cell with default coupled semantics
/// let cell: ptr_cell::PtrCell<u16> = 0x81D.into();
///
/// // Replace the value inside the cell
/// assert_eq!(cell.replace(Some(2047)), Some(0x81D));
///
/// // Check whether the cell is empty
/// assert_eq!(cell.is_empty(), false);
///
/// // Take the value out of the cell
/// assert_eq!(cell.take(), Some(2047))
/// ```
#[derive(Debug)]
pub struct PtrCell<T> {
/// Pointer to the contained value
value: std::sync::atomic::AtomicPtr<T>,
/// Group of memory orderings for internal atomic operations
order: Semantics,
}
impl<T> PtrCell<T> {
/// Returns a mutable reference to the cell's value
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust
/// // Construct a cell with a String inside
/// let mut text: ptr_cell::PtrCell<_> = "Punto aquí".to_string().into();
///
/// // Modify the String
/// text.get_mut()
/// .expect("The cell should contain a value")
/// .push_str(" con un puntero");
///
/// // Check the String's value
/// let sentence = "Punto aquí con un puntero".to_string();
/// assert_eq!(text.take(), Some(sentence))
/// ```
#[inline(always)]
pub fn get_mut(&mut self) -> Option<&mut T> {
let read = self.order.read();
let leaked = self.value.load(read);
non_null(leaked).map(|ptr| unsafe { &mut *ptr })
}
/// Replaces the cell's value with a new one, constructed from the cell itself using the
/// provided `new` function
///
/// Despite the operation being somewhat complex, it's still entirely atomic. This allows it to
/// be safely used in implementations of shared linked-list-like data structures
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust
/// fn main() {
/// // Initialize a sample sentence
/// const SENTENCE: &str = "Hachó en México";
///
/// // Construct an empty cell
/// let cell = ptr_cell::PtrCell::default();
///
/// // "encode" the sentence into the cell
/// for word in SENTENCE.split_whitespace().rev() {
/// // Make the new node set its value to the current word
/// let value = word;
///
/// // Replace the node with a new one pointing to it
/// cell.map_owner(|next| Node { value, next });
/// }
///
/// // Take the first node out of the cell and destructure it
/// let Node { value, mut next } = cell
/// .take()
/// .expect("Values should have been inserted into the cell");
///
/// // Initialize the "decoded" sentence with the first word
/// let mut decoded = value.to_string();
///
/// // Iterate over each remaining node
/// while let Some(node) = next.take() {
/// // Append the word to the sentence
/// decoded += " ";
/// decoded += node.value;
///
/// // Set the value to process next
/// next = node.next
/// }
///
/// assert_eq!(SENTENCE, decoded)
/// }
///
/// /// Unit of a linked list
/// struct Node<T> {
/// pub value: T,
/// pub next: ptr_cell::PtrCell<Self>,
/// }
///
/// impl<T> AsMut<ptr_cell::PtrCell<Self>> for Node<T> {
/// fn as_mut(&mut self) -> &mut ptr_cell::PtrCell<Self> {
/// &mut self.next
/// }
/// }
/// ```
pub fn map_owner<F>(&self, new: F)
where
F: FnOnce(Self) -> T,
T: AsMut<Self>,
{
let value_ptr = self.value.load(self.order.read());
let value = unsafe { Self::from_ptr(value_ptr, self.order) };
let owner_slot = Some(new(value));
let owner_ptr = Self::heap_leak(owner_slot);
let owner = unsafe { &mut *owner_ptr };
let value_ptr = owner.as_mut().value.get_mut();
loop {
let value_ptr_result = self.value.compare_exchange_weak(
*value_ptr,
owner_ptr,
self.order.read_write(),
self.order.read(),
);
match value_ptr_result {
Ok(_same) => break,
Err(modified) => *value_ptr = modified,
}
}
}
/// Returns the cell's value, leaving [`None`] in its place
///
/// This is an alias for `self.replace(None)`
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust
/// // Initialize a sample number
/// const VALUE: Option<u8> = Some(0b01000101);
///
/// // Wrap the number in a cell
/// let ordered = ptr_cell::Semantics::Ordered;
/// let cell = ptr_cell::PtrCell::new(VALUE, ordered);
///
/// // Take the number out
/// assert_eq!(cell.take(), VALUE);
///
/// // Verify that the cell is now empty
/// assert_eq!(cell.take(), None)
/// ```
#[inline(always)]
pub fn take(&self) -> Option<T> {
self.replace(None)
}
/// Returns the cell's value, replacing it with `slot`
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust
/// // Construct an empty cell
/// let cell = ptr_cell::PtrCell::new(None, Default::default());
///
/// // Initialize a pair of values
/// let odd = Some(vec![1, 3, 5]);
/// let even = Some(vec![2, 4, 6]);
///
/// // Replace the value multiple times
/// assert_eq!(cell.replace(odd.clone()), None);
/// assert_eq!(cell.replace(even.clone()), odd);
/// assert_eq!(cell.replace(None), even)
/// ```
#[inline(always)]
pub fn replace(&self, slot: Option<T>) -> Option<T> {
let read_write = self.order.read_write();
let new_leaked = Self::heap_leak(slot);
let old_leaked = self.value.swap(new_leaked, read_write);
non_null(old_leaked).map(|ptr| *unsafe { Box::from_raw(ptr) })
}
/// Determines whether this cell is empty
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust
/// use ptr_cell::PtrCell;
/// use std::collections::HashMap;
///
/// // Construct an empty cell
/// let cell: PtrCell<HashMap<u16, String>> = PtrCell::default();
///
/// // The cell's default value is None (empty)
/// assert!(cell.is_empty(), "The cell should be empty by default")
/// ```
#[inline(always)]
pub fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
let read = self.order.read();
self.value.load(read).is_null()
}
/// Constructs a cell with `slot` inside and `order` as its memory ordering
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust
/// // Initialize a sample number
/// const VALUE: Option<u16> = Some(0xFAA);
///
/// // Wrap the number in a cell
/// let ordered = ptr_cell::Semantics::Ordered;
/// let cell = ptr_cell::PtrCell::new(VALUE, ordered);
///
/// // Take the number out
/// assert_eq!(cell.take(), VALUE)
/// ```
#[inline(always)]
pub fn new(slot: Option<T>, order: Semantics) -> Self {
let leaked = Self::heap_leak(slot);
unsafe { Self::from_ptr(leaked, order) }
}
/// Constructs a cell that owns the allocation to which `ptr` points. The cell will use `order`
/// as its memory ordering
///
/// Passing in a null `ptr` is perfectly valid, as it represents [`None`]. Conversely, a
/// non-null `ptr` is treated as [`Some`]
///
/// # Safety
/// The memory pointed to by `ptr` must have been allocated in accordance with the [memory
/// layout][1] used by [`Box`]
///
/// Dereferencing `ptr` after this function has been called can result in undefined behavior
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust, ignore
/// // Initialize a sample number
/// const VALUE: Option<u16> = Some(0xFAA);
///
/// // Allocate the number on the heap and get a pointer to the allocation
/// let value_ptr = ptr_cell::PtrCell::heap_leak(VALUE);
///
/// // Construct a cell from the pointer
/// let ordered = ptr_cell::Semantics::Ordered;
/// let cell = unsafe { ptr_cell::PtrCell::from_ptr(value_ptr, ordered) };
///
/// // Take the number out
/// assert_eq!(cell.take(), VALUE)
/// ```
///
/// [1]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/boxed/index.html#memory-layout
#[inline(always)]
const unsafe fn from_ptr(ptr: *mut T, order: Semantics) -> Self {
let value = std::sync::atomic::AtomicPtr::new(ptr);
Self { value, order }
}
/// Sets the memory ordering of this cell to `order`
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust
/// use ptr_cell::{PtrCell, Semantics};
///
/// // Construct a cell with relaxed semantics
/// let mut cell: PtrCell<Vec<u8>> = PtrCell::new(None, Semantics::Relaxed);
///
/// // Change the semantics to coupled
/// cell.set_order(Semantics::Coupled);
///
/// // Check the updated semantics
/// assert_eq!(cell.get_order(), Semantics::Coupled)
/// ```
#[inline(always)]
pub fn set_order(&mut self, order: Semantics) {
self.order = order
}
/// Returns the current memory ordering of this cell
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust
/// use ptr_cell::PtrCell;
///
/// // Construct a cell with relaxed semantics
/// let relaxed = ptr_cell::Semantics::Relaxed;
/// let cell: PtrCell<String> = PtrCell::new(None, relaxed);
///
/// // Check the cell's semantics
/// assert_eq!(cell.get_order(), relaxed)
/// ```
#[inline(always)]
pub fn get_order(&self) -> Semantics {
self.order
}
/// Returns a raw pointer to the value contained within `slot`
///
/// Works differently depending on the `slot`'s variant:
/// - [`Some(T)`]: allocates `T` on the heap using [`Box`] and leaks it
/// - [`None`]: creates a null pointer
#[inline(always)]
fn heap_leak(slot: Option<T>) -> *mut T {
let Some(value) = slot else {
return std::ptr::null_mut();
};
let allocation = Box::new(value);
Box::into_raw(allocation)
}
}
impl<T> Default for PtrCell<T> {
/// Constructs an empty cell with the memory ordering of [`Coupled`](Semantics::Coupled)
#[inline(always)]
fn default() -> Self {
Self::new(None, Default::default())
}
}
impl<T> Drop for PtrCell<T> {
#[inline(always)]
fn drop(&mut self) {
let _drop = self.take();
}
}
impl<T> From<T> for PtrCell<T> {
#[inline(always)]
fn from(value: T) -> Self {
Self::new(Some(value), Default::default())
}
}
/// Returns `ptr` if it's non-null
#[inline(always)]
fn non_null<T>(ptr: *mut T) -> Option<*mut T> {
match ptr.is_null() {
true => None,
false => Some(ptr),
}
}
/// Memory ordering semantics for atomic operations. Determines how value updates are synchronized
/// between threads
///
/// If you're not sure what semantics to use, choose [`Coupled`](Semantics::Coupled)
#[non_exhaustive]
#[derive(Debug, Hash, PartialEq, Eq, PartialOrd, Ord, Clone, Copy)]
pub enum Semantics {
/// [`SeqCst`](Ordering::SeqCst) semantics
///
/// All memory operations will appear to be executed in a single, total order. See the
/// documentation for `SeqCst`
///
/// Maximum synchronization constraints and the worst performance
Ordered = 2,
/// [`Release`](Ordering::Release)-[`Acquire`](Ordering::Acquire) coupling semantics
///
/// A write that has happened before a read will always be visible to the said read. See the
/// documentation for `Release` and `Acquire`
///
/// A common assumption is that this is how memory operations naturally behave. Thus, this is
/// likely the semantics you want to use
///
/// Mild synchronization constraints and fair performance
Coupled = 1,
/// [`Relaxed`](Ordering::Relaxed) semantics
///
/// No synchronization constraints and the best performance
Relaxed = 0,
}
/// Implements a method on [`Semantics`] that returns the appropriate [`Ordering`] for a type of
/// operations
macro_rules! operation {
($name:ident with $coupled:path:
{ $($overview:tt)* }, { $($returns:tt)* }, { $($assert:tt)* }
$(,)? ) => {
impl Semantics {
$($overview)*
///
/// # Returns
/// - [`SeqCst`](Ordering::SeqCst) for [`Ordered`](Semantics::Ordered) semantics
$($returns)*
/// - [`Relaxed`](Ordering::Relaxed) for [`Relaxed`](Semantics::Relaxed) semantics
///
/// # Usage
///
/// ```rust
/// use std::sync::atomic::Ordering;
///
/// let semantics = ptr_cell::Semantics::Coupled;
///
$($assert)*
/// ```
#[inline(always)]
pub const fn $name(&self) -> Ordering {
match self {
Self::Ordered => Ordering::SeqCst,
Self::Coupled => $coupled,
Self::Relaxed => Ordering::Relaxed,
}
}
}
};
}
operation!(read_write with Ordering::AcqRel: {
/// Returns the memory ordering for read-write operations with these semantics
}, {
/// - [`AcqRel`](Ordering::AcqRel) for [`Coupled`](Semantics::Coupled) semantics
}, {
/// assert_eq!(semantics.read_write(), Ordering::AcqRel)
});
operation!(write with Ordering::Release: {
/// Returns the memory ordering for write operations with these semantics
}, {
/// - [`Release`](Ordering::Release) for [`Coupled`](Semantics::Coupled) semantics
}, {
/// assert_eq!(semantics.write(), Ordering::Release)
});
operation!(read with Ordering::Acquire: {
/// Returns the memory ordering for read operations with these semantics
}, {
/// - [`Acquire`](Ordering::Acquire) for [`Coupled`](Semantics::Coupled) semantics
}, {
/// assert_eq!(semantics.read(), Ordering::Acquire)
});
impl Default for Semantics {
#[inline(always)]
fn default() -> Self {
Self::Coupled
}
}